The expertsthat work in houses, publicstructures and commercialbuildingssetting up and mending pipes are classified asplumbing technicians. They work withspend water systems, freshwaterprogramsand also gas outlines. Additionally theyset upaccessoriesoffering tubs lavatories, kitchen sinks and showers. The can alsoinstalldishwashers, rubbish disposals andwater heaters.
?Plombier paristoday go into thetradefrom the apprenticeship plan. Right now, this methodis usuallyadministered through local communityschools and includes paid on the job training along withcourses. In the past, most of the training was handled face to face. This systemmight takefour to five years to completeas well as the graduate may becomean authorizedplumber.
?Certificationis arequirement of most says. So that you cantake the test for the license, potential plumbers have to show proof ofwork experience. Qualityis todisplayknowledge of local requirementsalong withstandardunderstanding of the trade.
?Most persons creating anew homewill surely have to enlist a plumber relative to local codes. He?ll read blueprintsto acquireand offer all necessary plumbing components. The http://sefairedepanner.com/? will likely beabout thecreating site at least3 times. His initialvisitwill probably beto the rough in plumbing related before surfaces are set up. Once the floors are installed and mountingis inplace, the plumber will return toinstall stub out plumbing. Around thenextcheck out, the plumber will return as one of the final specialistsas he installs fixtures and devicesto get your plumbing in operating order.
?d?pannage plomberie programs are comparativelytrouble free after installment. Many timesthat it is rare that you need to call a plumber to go to yourresidencefor any repairs. If you undertakeproduce a clogged water pipe or leak, your only selectionmay be to call the plumber.
This blog originally appeared in Business Fights Poverty.
In an era of corporate scandals, lost profits and the public?s declining trust, businesses are acutely sensitive to their brand reputation. ?That?s why corporate social responsibility has become a mandatory concern for every company, with businesses increasingly prioritizing support of nonprofits as a way to maintain a positive public image.
The anti-big business climate may be treacherous for large companies, but it offers nonprofits a valuable opportunity to leverage corporate relationships. ?Suddenly, big business can be the answer to nonprofit prayers when it comes to fundraising events, volunteers and long-term sustainability.
If you?re a nonprofit, here are three fundraising ideas you can?t afford to overlook:
1. ? Participate in workplace giving programs. ?In the past, corporations supported charities that were handpicked by company management, without any employee input. ?No more. ?These days, businesses understand that employees are their best brand ambassadors, and the more that employees are involved in the community, the better. ?Since employees are demanding a voice in shaping their company?s philanthropy, this turns out to be a win-win situation.
That?s why smart companies use?volunteer and giving platforms with built-in donation processing that enable employees to directly support nonprofits, sometimes facilitated through automatic payroll deductions. ?Companies with workplace giving programs often include a matching gift policy, underscoring the degree to which the company supports causes their employees care about, which helps increase employee engagement. ?When nonprofits make themselves available to these sorts of platforms (ideally through donation widgets, a type of?fundraising software), the effect can be like an instant fundraiser, with corporate support flowing in through multiple channels.
2. ? Be smart with corporate volunteers. ??Increasingly, companies are realizing the value of corporate volunteerism, especially if they want to attract and retain younger employees. ?Millennials tend to believe that participating in social causes is essential and this younger generation of employees are often attracted to companies that provide skills-based volunteering opportunities. ?Bottom line: it?s clear that corporate America is bursting with talented workers ready to volunteer their time to help nonprofits.
Today, nine out of ten nonprofits recognize that volunteers are essential to the success of their organization, and 77% of nonprofits believe in the benefits of corporate volunteers. However, just 62% actually work with corporate volunteers and only 12% of nonprofits match their volunteer work with the skills of the volunteer. ?So make sure you are providing the best benefits of volunteering if you want to get the maximum benefit from your volunteers. ?In order to engage and build an effective relationship with their corporate volunteers, nonprofits must be conscientious about aligning the interests and talents of their volunteers with their own organizational needs.
3. ? Prioritize sustainability planning. ?Sustainability planning is part of a nonprofit?s long-term strategy for fundraising revenue projections, administration of the organizational structure and development and management of its resources. ?A key element of a nonprofit?s sustainability are its volunteers and their relationship to the organization and its mission. When a volunteer feels connected to a nonprofit, they?re more likely to also become a donor, recruiter and ambassador. ?Corporate alliances can deliver a multitude of volunteers and relationships, and as their connection to a nonprofit grows, so does the number of potential donors and volunteers. ?Therefore, as a nonprofit forges relationships with corporate volunteers, a plan is needed for how to nurture and sustain the partnership so that it can grow into a long term source of financial and volunteer support.
Fundraising is always a challenge, no matter what the economic climate, but the time has never been riper for nonprofits to lean on big business as a conduit to new and ongoing support.
If you've ever wanted to visit a NASA Space Center and examine a shuttle up close, this may be your best chance to do so without actually flying to Florida or Texas. Google has rolled its Street View gear through Kennedy Space Center, and?you can now view everything from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad.
In the Vehicle?Assembly Building, you can check out the Atlantis and Endeavour shuttles, looking well-used. In the Apollo/Saturn V center, get a sense of just how massive those Saturn V rockets are. Examine the wall of mission badges, commemorating the missions of more than?100 launches and landings. Google's blog post detailing the project has all the links you need.
Don't look for any astronauts or engineers, though: it looks like they cleared the place out before Google swung by with their Street View car and trolley.
There are tours you can take of the Space Centers, of course, but there's something special about wandering around at your own pace, examining things up close and getting a feel for the place. There's a lot to explore, so take your time.
Kennedy is the latest in a series of on-site Street Views of famous landmarks and areas. Others you might want to check out: 10 Downing Street in London; Shackleton's hut in Antarctica; the Rio Negro in Brazil; and several national parks in California.
Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.
You may consider yourself a critical thinker and scientific skeptic, but do you have any blind spots? I?ve had a skeptical perspective for a long time (my teenage cynicism wasn?t just a phase) but the framework for my thinking has developed over years. Professionally, the blind spot that the pharmacy profession has towards supplements and alternatives to medicine was only clear after I spent some time working in a pharmacy with thriving homeopathy sales. In looking for some credible evidence to guide my recommendations, I discovered there was quite literally *nothing* to homeopathy. Once I discovered blogs like Respectful Insolence, the critical thinking process, and scientific skepticism, took off from there.
While my critical thinking about medicine is now pretty sharp, I?m discovering that I?ve had blinders one when it comes to a lot of the science of health and fitness. For context, I am regular runner and swimmer and work out several times per week. For a time, I considered myself to be a triathlete, and even managed to complete an Ironman triathlon. Now I exercise because I like it. (Plus I have an unreasonable fear of cardiovascular disease.) But my exercise practices developed through a combination of expert opinion, personal experimentation and anecdotes from others. Judging by conversations with others, I suspect this isn?t uncommon. So I run with Gatorade, stretch after my workouts, and sometimes have a protein shake after my weekly long run. Science-based? I rarely paused to ask. Here I sound like a CAM advocate: It worked for me. The superstitions of top athletes are well known, but what?s less well known is the extent to which the conventional knowledge about diet, fitness, and nutrition also lack good scientific evidence. I have blogged here about the occasional topics related to health and fitness, but blog posts don?t tend to offer the general overview and analytic framework that can guide the new reader. I also recognize that blogs are not a primary source of information to many people, so any credible sources in other formats that I can refer to are always welcomed.
I?ve found two excellent references to recommend. The first is Timothy Caulfield?s ?The Cure For Everything?. Caulfield is a professor in the Faculty of Law and School of Public Health at the University of Alberta. His book is an accessible, engaging read into the world of health, fitness, and alternative medicine. The book?s subtitle is ?Untangling Twisted Messages about Health, Fitness and Happiness? and that?s exactly what Caulfield does ? with a personal perspective. While an academic by training, Caulfield doesn?t just regurgitate the evidence. In fact, he really tries to understand different perspectives, and does this by immersing himself fully into his topics. Caulfield is a strong advocate for the use of science to guide decision-making:
At a time when scientific information has never been more important, it is being subjected to an unprecedented number of perverting influences. Not that this should come as a surprise. As science becomes more central to our lives, the stakes grow higher the incentives to twist the scientific message multiply.
Tim also zeroes in on an important point in how we teach people to make better scientific decisions:
May scientists believe that if people just knew more about science or understood the facts, they would be more rational about their health decisions. This view, which has been called the deficit model, is faulty. Research has shown that learning bout science can have a dramatic impact on a person?s views about health issues ? as I optimistically and perhaps naively hope this book will- but that this is not the norm. Supplying individuals with facts rarely alters beliefs. People see, select and interpret information about health (and many other topics) through individual and largely self-constructed lenses of preconceived beliefs, values, and fears.
Tim?s approach to this is to treat each topic with a mix of personal anecdotes and contrast it with what the scientific evidence actually says. Like the SBM blog, the book doesn?t just focus on CAM ? his exploration includes the spin of both the pharmaceutical industry and the direct-to-consumer genetic testing industry, show that the twisting of science for marketing purposes is hardly the exclusive domain of the CAM advocate. Caulfield?s chapter on fitness is where I personally learned the most. He contrasts the marketing of fitness (all about sex appeal and 6-pack abs) with the unequivocal health benefits conferred ? despite the fact that dramatically changing our appearance due to exercise alone is near-impossible. That?s because exercise is spectacularly bad at producing weight loss. Caulfield attributes much of the inaccurate messaging about diet and exercise to the food industry, which tends to portray inactivity as a driver of obesity, rather than suggesting the avoidance of calorie-dense, nutritionally-poor foods.
While it?s an evidence-based book, Caulfield?s personal experience make the book read more of a personal odyssey. You?re never left wondering what the science says, but it?s distilled with his own particular perspective. Caulfield gleefully debunks is the idea that stretching is both necessary and good. (Raise your hand if you spent hours in gym class doing static stretching.) The evidence actually shows that there?s little data to support routine stretching for preventing injuries. And stretching may impair, rather than benefit, a range of athletic activities.
Caulfield argues that the importance of strength (resistance) training for people of all ages and fitness levels has been under-emphasized, and uses this to recommend approaches to maximize your gains. He drives home the evidence demonstrating a clear dose-response to exercise ? so intensity is key. Public health messages that advocate ?moderate? exercise (which make sense when targeting a largely sedentary population) have obscured the reality that it is the intensity of exercise that drives health gains. For this reason, he is critical of yoga, which is far less effective than most other forms of exercise at building strength or cardiovascular benefits. Again, it?s the marketing of yoga (a multi-billion dollar industry now) that creates the perception of the health value of yoga, which is largely unsubstantiated. The section on diet starts with some simple questions: ?What, when and how much should I eat?? that he poses to a panel of diet experts he assembles ? and then follows their science-based advice for three months. Without spoiling the surprise, Caulfield describes the impact of his own experiment while weaving in what the evidence says ? and has some remarkable results along the way ? all without miracle pills, supplements, and gimmicks. The chapter on the alternative health industry will be the most familiar to readers of this blog. Caulfield is a strong science-based medicine advocate and he understands and explains how CAM advocates spin evidence and market themselves in ways to adopt the veneer of science, without the substance. As part of his research, he even visits a naturopath, describing the visit as ?the most pleasant clinical experience I have ever had.? The naturopath?s prescription to prevent motion sickness? Deep breathing, supplements, acupuncture, and homeopathy. Caulfield actually has his session with the acupuncturist, and takes his homeopathic nostrums as directed on an Alaskan cruise, with expected results. He goes on to a deep dive into naturopathy, and his evisceration of the vitalistic premise and mystical evidence base for naturopathy would make Kimball Atwood proud. He notes that naturopaths can offer reasonable and scientifically sound advice ? but argues that this is only when they happen to align with naturopathic philosophies ? not because they have been evaluated by naturopaths from a scientific perspective. Caulfield emphasizes that naturopaths crave mainstream legitimacy, yet refuse to renounce the magical (and debunked) framework that guides naturopathic practices:
If people want to go to alternative practitioners because they enjoy the personal attention (and I sure did), because they appreciate the holistic approach to health, because they are attracted to the underlying philosophy and are comfortable with the lack of evidence, then I say go for it. But if the field claims to be scientifically informed, as is the case with modern naturopathic practice, then it must follow the principles of science, And practitioners should not deceive patients about what the evidence says.
Homeopathy is an easy target, for sure. It is universally accepted by those within the scientific community that it?s a crock. But that is why it serves as such a damning example of the twisting power of an overriding ideological framework. If naturopathy was really evidence based, would naturopaths provide homeopathy as a primary treatment? Is the use of homeopathy supported by ?voluminous research? as claimed by the head of the British Columbia naturopaths? association? Or do naturopaths hold on to a belief in this therapy because it is part of the naturopathic tradition and accords closely with the foundational (and unscientific) principles of the field? The answers to these questions are patently obvious.
Because of Caulfield?s work in area, he?s been widely quoted in the past weeks as the Province of Alberta has announced plans to register and regulate naturopathy. So much for evidence-based health policy. For anyone that needs an introduction to science-based medicine, and the importance of making health decisions based on good scientific evidence, Caulfield?s book is an excellent entry point.
Which comes first, cardio or weights? The second book which I?m just as excited about is Alex Hutchinson?s ?Which comes first, cardio or weights? I became aware of Alex?s work through regular columns in the Globe and Mail which stood out from the usually health and fitness tripe in that they were strongly evidence-based. A journalist with a PhD in physics, Alex is excellent writer plus an accomplished distance runner. (A combination I aspire to, but fail on both counts). Hutchinson brings a mix of pragmatism and science to his blog at Runner?s World, which is also reflected in his new book, which answers dozens of pertinent health and fitness questions, such as:
Are elliptical trainers useful?
Is ?barefoot running? all it?s touted to be?
Is there really a ?fat burning zone? for my heart, and should I target it?
What should I eat or drink before, during, and after workouts?
Does listening to music help or hurt my workout?
What athletic shoes do I really need?
How does exercise affect my immunity?
Will running ruin my knees?
Can you change your running style? Should you?
Should I stretch?
Do compression garments help performance or recovery?
Is it lactic acid buildup that?s causing muscle fatigue?
What is an exercise ?stitch? and how do I prevent them?
Are those maximum heart rate charts in the gym accurate?
Well referenced and grounded in the evidence, I have little to critique about the book. I don?t want to spoil the read for you ? I learned a tremendous amount about my own blind spots of exercise, which is going to help not only my own fitness habits, but also the advice I offer to others. Compared to Caulfield?s book, this is a much ?deeper dive? into the specifics of exercise, but it?s an excellent read for anyone interested in maximizing the gains from exercise. Both books are exceptional in the way they cut through the noise we?re exposed to everyday when it comes to diet, health and fitness advice.
Great science-based references that are accessible to a general audience are hard to come by. I am happy to recommend ?The Cure for Everything? and ?Which comes first, cardio or weights?? unequivocally.
This entry was posted on Thursday, August 2nd, 2012 at 10:43 pm and is filed under articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Transportation Security Administrationtemporarily suspended passenger screening in one part of Chicago O'Hare International Airport on Thursday as agents conducted a "suspicious activity" investigation.
The TSA closed its security checkpoint at Terminal 2 but did not evacuate the facility, which remains open to inbound and outbound flights, said Gregg Cunningham with the Chicago Department of Aviation.
The suspicious activity was not immediately explained.
Passengers with flights leaving from Terminal 2 are being sent to a nearby terminal for security screening and then being allowed back into Terminal 2.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Guess who's coming to dinner?in Reese Witherspoon's Elle Decor-anointed California country house? Yes, that would be an in-hiding Robert Pattinson, who is apparently a "total mess" and "questioning everything" after...
The first US-based 787 carrier is inching closer to its Dreamliner service launch. United Airlines celebrated the plane's rollout today at Boeing's Everett, Washington factory. The aircraft, which is set to begin international service later this year, received a custom livery, which includes a curved "swoop" -- which oddly enough appears to be the focus of design chatter. That may just be because the public has yet to take a peek inside, though we did have an opportunity to hitch a ride on ANA's variant last year, which has been flying throughout Japan since late 2011. Despite All Nippon's head start, United's flavor has garnered much attention domestically, marking a massive milestone in the Dreamliner's delayed launch. Hit up our source link below for a few more (exterior) views, courtesy of United.
This blog originally appeared in Business Fights Poverty.
Tim?s approach to this is to treat each topic with a mix of personal anecdotes and contrast it with what the scientific evidence actually says. Like the SBM blog, the book doesn?t just focus on CAM ? his exploration includes the spin of both the pharmaceutical industry and the direct-to-consumer genetic testing industry, show that the twisting of science for marketing purposes is hardly the exclusive domain of the CAM advocate.
The second book which I?m just as excited about is Alex Hutchinson?s ?Which comes first, cardio or weights? I became aware of Alex?s work through regular columns in the Globe and Mail which stood out from the usually health and fitness tripe in that they were strongly evidence-based. A journalist with a PhD in physics, Alex is excellent writer plus an accomplished distance runner. (A combination I aspire to, but fail on both counts). Hutchinson brings a mix of pragmatism and science to his blog at Runner?s World, which is also reflected in his new book, which answers dozens of pertinent health and fitness questions, such as:
